And Dream I Do
by Blood Riot Yagami
Summary: This is a romance story between Rogue and Gambit...though there will still definitely be action. Give it a read and let me know what you think. Chapter 4 now up.
1. Ghost Of The Past

**Hello and welcome to my latest story, "And Dream I Do." As stated in the summery, the couple of this story is Rogue and Gambit. I've always enjoyed this couple in the X-Men series and they definitely had chemistry in "X-Men: Evolution." There will be some off-shoot couples here and there, but they more than likely be couples from the show. Other than that, I chose to make Rogue's real name "Anna Marie" as this is her official name, and they do not state her name in the show. I also chose not to write characters accents in their dialogue, since I wasn't comfortable writing it that way and it would make the story clumsy. Instead, I encourage you to accent the dialogue yourself in your head. ^.^ Enjoy!

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_**I**_t was early in the morning when Rogue awoke. She rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the dim light from her window. She guessed that no one else was awake yet, as the only sound that greeted her was Kitty's soft snores.

She decided to nestle back into her blankets, since it was too early and too cold to be getting up in Upstate New York's autumnal months. She opened her bedside table and pulled out her most recent book.

Books were wonderful things. You could get yourself lost in the story and imagine that maybe you were really the character…sort of like the dream she'd just had.

In her dream, she hadn't been Rogue, the untouchable girl with mutant powers. No, she'd simply been Anna Marie, a southern belle with whom the dashing and also strangely de-powered Scott Summers found himself infatuated with.

It wasn't like she still had feelings for Scott or anything. It was probably more a manifestation of her jealousy of Scott and Jean's relationship. They could hug, kiss, hold hands, and do things that normal couples would do. Those were all things Rogue couldn't do.

Ridding her mind of those thoughts, she opened her book, only to have her bookmark plop in her lap. She swore softly under her breath, since she'd have to find her place in the book again.

Still, Rogue found herself smiling in spite of it as she picked up the bookmark. It was nothing more than a single playing card. The Queen of Hearts, her lucky lady…though, it'd been someone else's luck before it was hers.

One of Magneto's former henchmen had given it to her about a year ago. Rogue blinked in revelation. Wow, it really _had_ been a year since she last saw Gambit and defeated Apocalypse.

Rogue found that the idea of getting lost in a story was less appealing to her now. She clutched the card to her bosom and wondered whatever happened to the Cajun thief. Those thoughts didn't occupy her long, however, and she soon drifted back into dreamland.

-

_**R**_ogue awoke next to her roommate shoving her. "Rogue! Are you going to sleep all day or what?" Kitty giggled. Rogue groaned and sat up. "Hey, I was awake before you were, Kitty!" she retorted, rubbing her eyes, "I just went back to sleep."

"Sure," Kitty agreed sarcastically, "You didn't forget we were going to hit the town today, did you?" Rogue threw aside the blankets and was greeted by chill. "No, I didn't forget," she assured the younger girl, "Let me catch a shower."

"Go for it," Kitty nodded, "I haven't even done my hair yet." Rogue grabbed a towel from her bureau and went in their room's little bathroom.

She hung the towel on a nearby rack and turned the on the shower. She heard Kitty turn on her music in the other room. She reluctantly removed her clothing and swore the power fluxed as Kitty turned on her industrial strength hairdryer. She shivered as she stepped in the shower, but soon relaxed as the warm water ran down her body.

Rogue sighed while her mind shifted back to thoughts of her dream. It was pathetic to dwell on things that would never be. She would always have her mutant powers and she would always be alone. Who would want a girl-friend they can't even touch? She didn't have much to offer a guy besides a cynical sense of humor…and that wasn't a quality normal people would base a relationship off of.

"Rogue! Are you drowning in there or what?" Kitty yelled, banging on the door. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" Rogue shouted back and turned the water off. She grabbed her towel and dried off, grumbling about Kitty's pushiness while she did so.

She pulled on her outfit of the day, which consisted of a black tank top, black choker, various rings, blue jeans, boots, driving gloves and a leather jacket. She raised an eyebrow and looked in the mirror. Maybe she was becoming less "gothic," but then again, maybe not. Well, at least the jeans were _blue._

She swung the bathroom door open to see Kitty standing there in a sand colored skirt with a pink princess cut shirt. She accessorized enough to make models in _Vogue_ look underdressed. Her hair was done up in little teddy-bear ears on the top of her head. She beamed at Rogue while she held up two pairs of boots she could wear.

"Which ones should I wear?" she asked, "I'm thinking of going with the loose fitting ones…casual yet classy, right?" She put the left pair closer to Rogue's face like she was going to inspect them or something. "Yeah, that's probably your best bet, Kitty," Rogue agreed quickly. Choosing Kitty's outfits was not one of her favorite activities. Kitty nodded and sat on her bed putting the boots on, "You almost ready?"

"Yeah, all I gotta do is my make-up and dry my hair," Rogue told her as she turned on her hairdryer. Her hair dried in no time and, as usual, turned out just like she wanted it: straight and flat. It fell close to shoulder blade length now. Kitty walked up behind her and observed.

She separated Rogue's hair in two little bunches below each ear. "Low pigtails would look cute, Rogue," Kitty announced. Rogue just glared at her in the mirror and Kitty dropped her hair, "Just saying…" Rogue did her make-up like a pro, finishing with a deep maroon color on her lips.

"Come on, Kitty, let's go," she said, grabbing her purse and sunglasses. Kitty put on her suede jacked with the fur trim and grabbed her purse. "Right behind you," she replied cheerfully.

They made their way to Rogue's car, which was nothing more than a regular pre-owned sedan…but it ran well, so Rogue couldn't complain. There were some benefits to being eighteen now…even if driving meant she had to haul Kitty's seventeen-year-old butt around. Still, it was better than _Kitty_ driving herself anywhere. Who knows how many people would be injured if she did?

They drove to the mall with Kitty changing radio stations the whole way there. Rogue always found it funny how different she and Kitty were, yet how much she cared for the younger girl. Kitty was probably one of her closest friends.

She found a parking space well enough. Bayville wasn't the largest place in the world, so mall parking wasn't any sort of nightmare. Kitty flew out of the car as Rogue locked the doors. "Okay, there's this totally awesome new store that we should totally hit up…" Kitty began immediately, grabbing Rogue's hand and practically sprinting toward the mall.

Rogue smiled to herself. She was glad Kitty was having fun, after all, she'd promised a girls' day out to Kitty as a belated birthday gift. Still, she knew it was going to be a long day…and she probably wasn't going to have any money by the time it was over.

-

_**F**_inally, after probably visiting every store in the mall at least twice, the two girls found themselves sitting on the edge of the fountain in the middle of town, despite the chilly October air. This was one of Rogue's favorite places and Kitty knew that. She turned her attention to the older girl.

"Hey, Rogue, there's a café over there. Why don't I grab us two mochas?" Kitty suggested with a grin. Rogue looked at her wide eyed. She'd been spacing out rather terribly. "Oh, wow, Kitty. Thanks. That'd be great," she replied, in genuine gratitude.

With that Kitty bounded off to the café on the corner, leaving Rogue among the mounds of their shopping bags. Rogue had to admit to herself that shopping with Kitty had been fun, though it _was_ sort of hard to keep up with her. Rogue breathed in the fresh, chilled air. This had to be the best spot in Bayville.

She reached down in one of the bags to look at one of the shirts she'd purchased when a shadow cast over her. She turned her attention upward to receive her mocha from Kitty. Rogue gasped; It wasn't Kitty's eyes she met…

"It's been awhile…How have you been, chère?"

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**I hope you enjoyed it! Drop me a review and let me know what you think! This has been B.R.Y. over and out!**


	2. Never Give Up

_**Hello all, and welcome to Chapter 2 of "And Dream I Do." I had some trouble with this chapter due to a fight with a loved one, which resulted in minor writer's block. I managed to finish it after we made up, so I hope it is up to the standard of writing that I had previously produced. Anyway, without further ado...

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"Gambit!" Rogue shouted as she shot to her feet, "What are you doing here?"

Gambit reached forward and brushed a gloved finger across her cheek, leaving it at the edge of her cheekbone. "Did you miss me that much, Rogue?" he teased, adding a smile that made Rogue doubt the usefulness of her legs.

Still, she was nothing if not stubborn and shoved any unresolved feelings she may or may not have for the Cajun thief aside. She summoned up what she deemed to be a rather unnerving glare and sent it Gambit's way. "You can guess again," she retorted, "Look, I don't know what you've been doing the past year and I don't rightly care…"

Gambit seemed to study her. "You put on a good show," he said after a few moments, "But I'll bet you want to know everything." He dragged his still outstretched finger down the length of her jaw line before finally retrieving it to the safety of his jacket pocket.

Rogue subtly shifted her glance from the man in front of her to the café door. Kitty should be coming along any second now…

Gambit gently pushed Rogue's head back in his direction. "Obviously we don't have time to finish our little conversation uninterrupted, so I'll meet you back here on Friday. Alright, chére?" he said and pulled his hand away.

He then smiled _that_ smile and Rogue found herself cursing her irrational heart. Rogue then heard a voice shout her name. She looked in the direction of the voice and spotted Kitty running toward herself and Gambit.

"That seems to be my cue," Gambit said, nodding his head in good-bye to Rogue. He turned to walk away.

Rogue decided he needed to have one point made clear to him. "I never said I was coming on Friday, Gambit," she countered.

Gambit looked back at her. "I know that," he said with one of those smiles, "I'll see you at seven." He then continued his leisurely retreat from her.

"Was that Gambit?" Kitty asked upon her arrival to Rogue's location.

"Sure was," Rogue nodded, "I have no idea what he wants exactly."

Kitty handed Rogue her coffee and they both sat down on the edge of the fountain. "It's hard to say what he _would_ want, but it can't be something _too_ bad since Apocalypse is, like, dead and all, you know?" Kitty thought aloud as she sipped the hot beverage.

Rogue stared at the top of the coffee cup, as if it would give her all the answers she needed. Still, she knew the only way she was going to get _any_ answers was if she met with Gambit on Friday. She sighed in defeat. Gambit probably knew he could back her into a corner like this to get what he wanted…Moreover, he also probably knew Rogue wouldn't tell Kitty about the meet-up.

"Hey, Rogue," Kitty said as she put a reassuring hand on Rogue's shoulder, "Don't worry about it too much…I'm sure Gambit won't hurt us or any of the X-Men. Don't get me wrong, he might totally steal something, but he wouldn't hurt or kill any of us."

"Yeah, I know," Rogue agreed solemnly, "Let's get all this stuff in the car and go home."

-

"Rogue, please concentrate," the Professor sighed in exasperation, "The mental training I'm putting you through is useless if you're not focused."

Rogue flung herself in a chair and gripped her head. "Sorry, I'm just…I got a lot on my mind," she admitted slowly.

Since the incident with Apocalypse, Rogue had decided to do mental training with the Professor in an attempt to gain more control of her powers. The Professor felt that Rogue's deficiency in control where her mutant ability was concerned may be a lack of full realization…Almost like her ability was in it's infant stage.

In order to correct this, the Professor believed strengthening Rogue's mind to the point where either he or she could push her ability to it's "adult stage" would be the best method to try. The problem being that Rogue's mind was a mess with many of the hurtful things she experienced over her eighteen years.

Unfortunately, the only way to strengthen one's mind was to have a clear mind to begin with. So, most of the year Rogue had spent clearing her mind and coming to terms with things. Only the last two months or so had been actually spent on any sort of mental strengthening.

"Is there anything you'd like to talk about, Rogue?" the Professor asked, his face full of concern, "You know I will not pry where you do not want me to…however, if it's something that will cause danger to you or any of the other students, I will get involved."

"No! No, it's nothing like that…it's just…typical Senior year stuff," Rogue lied. School always seemed to catch the blame for things that it had nothing to do with it at all.

The Professor's face lightened. "Ah, perhaps the school dance next Saturday? Kitty was saying you were still unsure whether you were going or not," he asked with a gentle smile.

Rogue masked her surprise. Honestly, she'd forgotten all about it when she'd decided not to go, but in this case… "Yeah, I just think it'd be hard, you know, with the no-touching factor involved," Rogue explained lamely.

"So I see," the Professor nodded in understanding, "I'm sorry that the mental work we've been doing hasn't yielded any instant results yet, still I have faith in you, Rogue, that you will come across you own solutions for hurdles that life puts before you."

Rogue set her jaw. "I'll never give up trying to control it," she stated, looking the Professor in the eyes.

"I'd never expect you to," he replied with a smile, "I'll offer any help I can give you as long as you need it." He reached out and placed his hand on Rogue's shoulder, "Now, why don't you head off to bed? There is school tomorrow."

Rogue nodded and stood up. "Thank you, Professor," she said and left the room. She turned down the hallway that led to her bedroom.

"Rogue," a soft German-accented voice called. Rogue turned around to see exactly who she expected this time.

"Hey, Kurt. What's up?" she said. Kurt was probably the closest member of the X-Men to her, being her brother and all…though it was through adoption on her part.

"Do you have plans tomorrow, because Kitty and I were planning-" he began before Rogue held up her hand.

"I actually do have plans tomorrow night, so don't say anything that would make me want to ditch them," she told him with a smile. It was funny how cheerful she got after her training sessions.

"Right. Okay," Kurt nodded somewhat deflated, "You're still going to the dance though, right?"

Rogue was about to yell at him she wasn't going, just like she told everyone else, but found herself saying, "I'm still thinking about it" instead. Rogue chalked it up to his sad, blue, fuzzy face.

"Alright," Kurt said with a little more pep, "Let us know if you can give us a ride there." With that, he teleported, probably to the kitchen or to find Kitty.

Rogue stretched. It was hard to believe the week went by so quickly. Now her dreaded meeting with Gambit was tomorrow night. She _still_ hadn't let anyone know about it. She knew Kitty had probably told everyone about Gambit showing up, which was more than likely why the Professor had been highlighting the chance of danger. Rogue knew that the Professor thought Gambit had intentions for her. Though, exactly what those intentions were, she had no idea. She was sure she was going to find out tomorrow…The question was, did she want to find out?

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_**Well, I hoped everyone enjoyed it, despite the fact that I only kind of gave you a taste of Gambit's character! Haha. Don't worry, I promise he'll be in Chapter 3! If you feel like it, drop me a line and let me know what you think! This has been B.R.Y.**_


	3. Skeptical Hearts

**Hello, all! Sorry for the delay on Chapter 3! .; Between Halloween costumes and getting ill, this was my labor of love. Still, I really appreciate those who favorited, reviewed, and just simply stuck with this story. And for the person who asked me what "B.R.Y." stood for, it stands for my pen-name "Blood Riot Yagami." I like end my authors notes like a radio transmission. Haha. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this Remy-full chapter!

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_**"A**_re you sure you're sick? You don't really look that bad…" Kitty said, raising an eyebrow skeptically as she looked down at Rogue, who was huddling in her blankets doing her best impression of being sick.

Logan's frown deepened from his position next to Kitty, "Yeah, I gotta say I think you're right, half-pint, but Charles said she could stay home from school today." He turned to Kitty, "You'd better hurry up and get to school."

With those sentiments, Kitty and Logan left the room and Rogue breathed a sigh of relief. She knew she wasn't any good at faking illness, but she was too distracted to even think about going to school.

Today, after all, was the day she would meet with Gambit and who knew what would happen? He was difficult to read and she never could truly tell what he was up to. Maybe he wanted to thank her for the help rescuing his father? Unlikely. That incident had occurred quite some time back.

She groaned. It wasn't like she had to go at all. She even mentioned to Gambit that she may not bother to show up. Still, he seemed fairly confident she would. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling. Gambit knew her curiosity would win out, _that's_ why he knew she would come.

Rogue tried to logic in her head that her curiosity was, in fact, the only reason she'd bother to go at all. Unfortunately, a smaller part of her mind was saying, "There's something about him…"

Despite her best efforts to ignore that particular piece of gray matter, she realized something about Gambit was very enticing. Maybe it was his charms, good looks, or a mutant power…who knew?

She closed her eyes and decided that dwelling on the upcoming event was no good. Perhaps some more sleep and a hot shower would calm her down a bit. That seemed like the best option and she fell asleep without much trouble.

-

_**B**_y the time Kitty came home from her dance-planning committee meeting, Rogue was already dressed and was putting her hair up in a messy bun. Kitty looked at her suspiciously as she closed the bedroom door behind her.

"Thought you were sick, Rogue," she asked warily.

Rogue, finally finding herself satisfied with her hair, looked over at Kitty. "I actually got a phone call from a friend of mine from my hometown in Mississippi," she explained, "He's passing through Bayville on a school trip, so he's only going to be here for the evening. I can't pass up the opportunity to see him…besides, I feel a lot better." She added on a reassuring grin to her lie.

Kitty sat down on the edge of her bed. "Really? It's not the kid you kissed, right?" she inquired. She looked rather surprised.

Rogue was pleased that this falsehood was going over better than her last one. "No, not him. Anyway, I gotta go. I'll talk to you when I get back, okay?" Rogue said as she threw on her bomber jacket and went out the door.

If Kitty had said anything after that, Rogue didn't hear it. She practically flew down the hallways to avoid being spotted by anybody. To her surprise, her mission was successful and she made it to her car without anyone catching her.

It was around six o'clock now and rather chilly outside. As she climbed in her car, she thanked the heavens that it actually had a working heating system. She smiled to herself at that thought before she drove out of the institute's garage.

-

_**W**_hen Rogue had finally parked her car and walked over to the fountain, it was 6:40PM. She sighed at her promptness and considered waiting in the car…that was until she saw Gambit sitting on the edge of the fountain waiting for her.

"Bonjour, mademoiselle," he said with a grin as he stood up to meet her, "I'm flattered that you decided to arrive early just to see me."

Rogue avoided looking him in the eye, as she deemed it better for her health. "I knew I should've made you wait," she grumbled more to herself than to him.

He laughed. It was an intoxicating sound that made Rogue's heart jump a bit. This was so ridiculous. There was no way _Gambit_ should be having this effect on her. She resumed her frowning and glared at him.

"What do you want with me? If you're trying to find someone, you should know…" she began crossly, but he cut her off.

"Find someone?" he asked, looking like it was a novel sentiment, "Oui, I suppose you could say it's something like that. Still, before we get down to any of that business, what do you say to dinner?"

Rogue was slightly taken aback. "'Dinner?'" she repeated dumbly. Well, she hadn't eaten dinner at the institute…and she _was_ pretty hungry…She snapped her mind back to suspicion. "What are you playing at, Gambit?" she demanded, putting her hand on her hip.

"Nothing, chѐre," he half-smiled, putting his hands in the air like it was going to defuse her apprehensiveness, "You are a skeptical one, eh? It's just a gesture of thanks…for helping me before and helping me now."

Rogue raised one eyebrow. "I haven't done anything for you yet," she retorted shortly.

Gambit smiled at her genuinely and it caught her off guard. "You showed up, didn't you?" He replied. Before she could recover from that sentiment, he captured her gloved hand in his own and pulled her toward his motorcycle, which was parked nearby.

She blinked a few times to refocus herself. "Isn't it a bit cold to be riding a motorcycle?" she asked taking the motorcycle helmet he offered her.

He chuckled as he climbed on the vehicle and she sat down behind him. "I suppose you'll have to stay real close to me then, chère," he replied and took off to who knew where with Rogue clinging to him for dear life.

She found herself wondering what she was getting herself into…and whether or not she really cared.

-

_**T**_he restaurant was nice. It was upscale, but not too ritzy. Her Southern blood appreciated that apparently the owners didn't mind a sky-high heating bill as she shed her coat and hung it on the back of her chair.

Gambit had done the same with his trench coat and was now scouring the menu for something that appealed to him. While he was somewhat oblivious, Rogue took the opportunity to take a good look at him, since it _had_ been quite awhile since she last saw him.

He certainly was handsome, that was without question. Even in the plain clothes he was wearing, which were simply black jeans and a black long-sleeved shirt, he stood out from the regular guy. His brown hair was shaggy, but not unkempt and he sported a five o'clock shadow. His eyes were like the color of rubies and stood out immensely on their black background.

Rogue suddenly realized that he was meeting her gaze. "Found what you want to eat, chère?" he asked with a lopsided smile.

"Yeah," she muttered, trying to hide her blush. Couldn't get much more embarrassing than that.

The waitress came and took their orders. Rogue decided upon a salad, since it was usually a safe-bet and Gambit got some sort of steak combo. The service was actually pretty quick and it didn't take long before their meals were placed in front of them. Rogue looked glumly at her salad and halfway wished she'd gotten what Gambit had.

"So, you goin' to your high school dance next Saturday?" Gambit inquired conversationally between bites of food.

"I dunno," Rogue admitted, "It's hard you know…" She stopped abruptly, realizing what she was saying and what he'd asked. "How'd you know about that?" she demanded, glaring at him with her fork poised somewhere between her plate and her mouth.

He shrugged. "I just know how to find things out without anyone ever realizing," he replied enigmatically. He smiled at her and propped his chin up on one of his hands.

"Have you been spying on me?!" Rogue persisted irritably. She stabbed the fork into the innocent salad and the salad dressing oozed around the indent the fork made like blood around a knife wound.

"Non. More like…watching out for you," Gambit replied suavely, "Besides, it may interest you that I happen to know that if you _do_ decide to go to the dance in question, there will be a guy waiting there for you."

Rogue's eyes widened at that. "Like…a guy from my school?" she asked in a very Kitty-like manner.

Gambit shrugged again. "Could be…but since you don't approve of my thief's life, chère, I don't think it'd be right to tell you any more," he smirked, teasing her.

"Is it you?" Rogue asked, looking Gambit in the eyes.

He seemed surprised by this accusation. "Me?" he said, raising his eyebrows, "Non…Sorry to disappoint you."

"Don't worry I'm not disappointed," Rogue snorted. She ignored the fact that she sort of was. Still, who would be waiting for _her_ at a dance? She ran through a list of boys at her school and couldn't seem to find a candidate. Could it be one of the other X-Men?

While Rogue had been stewing on who could be her secret admirer, Gambit had paid for the check and donned his jacket. Rogue snapped out of her thoughts and followed suit.

"So…where to next?" she wondered aloud. She zipped up her coat and adjusted it in the shoulders. Gambit opened the front door of the restaurant for her in a gentlemanly fashion and she stepped out into the cool air.

"Probably back to your car, no? It's just about eight," he replied. He took her hand in his and they walked over to his motorcycle.

Rogue found herself somewhat disappointed that time had flew by and that Gambit's hand had left hers as he sat down on the bike. She pulled the helmet on her head and found herself more willing to wrap her arms around his torso as he prepared to drive off.

Gambit's charm was definitely his true power; the kinetic energy stuff was just a bonus.

-

_**T**_oo soon they arrived at Rogue's car. Still, Gambit made no move to remove Rogue's arms from about his waist. They sat there for a moment in silence.

"I believe this is your stop, chère?" Gambit said finally, taking off his helmet and getting off the cycle.

Rogue thrust the helmet she had into his hands. "That's yours," she said, stating the obvious, "I, uh, it was…eh…You, I mean…The food was good." Rogue mentally kicked herself for that show of stupidity. Still, she was curious about something, "You never told me who you were looking for, or where you were all this time."

Gambit gave her a mischievous smile. "You're right," he replied, "I didn't tell you. You'll have to wait until our next date to find out."

Rogue frowned at this answer, "Who says there's going to be a next time, Gambit?"

"Remy," he replied, "I think we're on a first name basis now, don't you?" He reached forward and carefully brushed a strand of her white hair out of her face without actually touching her.

Rogue stiffened nervously. He was nothing if not a smooth operator. "Er, I suppose so, yeah. Um…When are we going to…talk…again?" she asked, careful not to use the word "date" or let on that she was actually quite struck by him.

"Don't worry about that, chère, I'll let you know," he said calmly. He reached forward and picked up her hand, then brought it to his lips briefly before releasing it, "You better get going. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah," Rogue murmured, turning on her heel and heading towards her car. She opened the door to her car and heard the motorcycle's engine start. Ignoring the cautious side of her mind, she turned and looked at him.

"Remy!" she called, enjoying the sensation of using the new name. He met her eyes and she smiled, "Anna Marie."

His red eyes widened in surprise, but he understood.

Rogue climbed in the car and began the drive back to the institute. She had to admit that everything was probably more confusing than it had been before she met with Gambit. Despite that, she had something she didn't have before she came. She smiled contentedly at the thought of the silly "date" and the warmth of the idea of being treated as something more than a friend for once.

She half-smiled, "So, his name's Remy…"

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**Well, I hope you all enjoyed it. I certainly had fun writing it! Rogue and Gambit have such chemistry already that it was a wonderfully pleasent change of pace from writing fanfics where I actually have to craft the chemistry from scratch. If you feel like it, let me know what you think in a review! Until next time, this has been B.R.Y.!**


	4. Unintentional Lover

**Hello and welcome! At long last, I finally got my ass in gear and wrote Chapter 4 of this fic. I got rather verbose on this one, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! Happy reading!

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"_**S**_o where were _you_ all night, hmmm?" a voice pierced through Rogue's blanket of sleep.

Rogue cracked one eye open in an attempt to glare at her roommate. Kitty was looking down at her with her hands on her hips, frowning as fiercely as Kitty possibly was able to.

"Oh, you know, here and there. I haven't seen my friend in awhile," Rogue croaked, her voice sore with the morning. Something about Kitty's look said she wasn't buying Rogue's lie anymore.

Still, Kitty nodded as if she understood Rogue's position. "Yeah, I suppose it _has_ been a long time since you've seen your friend…" Kitty said facetiously, "…chére."

Rogue sat bolt upright in bed, fully awake after _that_ statement. "What?" she gasped. She looked at Kitty searchingly only to find that the younger girl's face showed no hint of any joking around.

"You weren't going to see a friend from Caldecott, Rogue. I'm not stupid. You went to see Gambit," she retorted, "I don't know why you felt compelled to lie to me. Did you really think I'd rat you out to anyone?" Kitty made a lame attempt to hide the hurt emotions that flickered across her face.

Rogue didn't think that telling Kitty that the fact that she had always been a pro gossiper was the precise reason Rogue lied to her was her best course of action at this point. She straightened up in bed and decided to look stern. "Well, then, Kitty, just how did you figure out who I was with last night?" Rogue asked in the most dignified manner a person who just rolled out of bed could muster.

Kitty rolled her eyes. "Oh, I don't know," she said in a sing-song tone, then she glared at Rogue, "Maybe the fact that there is a Cajun card-throwing thief standing on our doorstep at this very moment requesting to see you."

Rogue didn't bother to hide her surprise. "What?" she asked dumbly. "What" seemed to be the word of the morning.

Kitty sighed impatiently. "You heard me. The professor said you could go speak with him, though Logan says you have to do it on the front porch since six adamantium claws say Gambit's not getting any further than that," she replied tartly, "Now, get dressed and go talk to him. Otherwise, I'm sure someone else will come get you out of bed instead."

Rogue guessed that by "someone else," Kitty probably meant Logan. He was definitely _not_ the person Rogue wanted to see at the moment. She threw off the blankets and dressed with lightning speed. She grabbed a hairbrush off her nightstand and dragged it through her hair a few times in a sad attempt to make it look like less of a mess.

Kitty had already left at this point. She was probably offended because Rogue hadn't told her about going to see Gambit rather than the fact that there was a former Acolyte on the front stoop. Kitty had interesting logic sometimes.

Rogue raced down the hallway ignoring the confused or irritated looks she was receiving from the younger students. No doubt they'd been awakened by the other X-Men when Gambit had somehow bypassed the security in order to pay her a visit. Even though he hadn't been seen since he'd "borrowed" her to rescue his father, she supposed that he was still considered a threat since he'd worked for Magneto and all.

He most likely realized that fact as well. If so, then why the hell would he show up unannounced like this? Especially demanding to see her? She brushed her hair out of her face before skidding to a halt in the vestibule, which was, granted, rather large for a vestibule. It was something more akin to a front parlor…without the formality, of course.

Scott, Jean, Kitty, Kurt, Ororo, Logan, and The Professor were all there waiting for her. Rogue smiled weakly. "H-Hey, everyone," she managed quietly.

"What the hell is going on?" Scott blurted out before anyone else could form a thought.

Logan made a noise akin to an animal growling. "I'm with him on this one," he said gesturing toward Scott, "What the hell _is_ going on here, Stripes?" He leveled a fierce stare at Rogue before crossing his arms thereby assuming his irritation pose.

Rogue shifted uncomfortably, but couldn't really think of anything to say. Logan took a step forward, but the professor held up his hand as a gesture for Logan to stand down.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Rogue, Gambit is waiting for you on the front porch. I suggest you go see what he wants, then we'll discuss this afterwards," the professor said solemnly.

"You better have something to say then," Logan snorted, "And it better be good."

Rogue could only nod and turn stiffly toward the door. The handle loomed in front of her like an unearthly presence. Why was she so afraid to speak with Gambit now? Last night she'd been so comfortable with him, but now, it was different. Maybe it was because she had all the X-Men staring at her, wondering what she'd done…or not done as the case may be.

She took a deep breath and composed herself. She was a member of the X-Men and beyond that, since when did she let someone get under her skin like this? She stepped out the front door and closed it firmly behind her, hoping that maybe if she didn't have to see the other X-Men, then perhaps she could just pretend they weren't nearby.

Gambit stood there, leaning on the side of the mansion, smiling a lazy smile at her. "Morning, chère, I trust you slept well?" he asked more rhetorically than anything else.

Rogue didn't try to hide her shock at his casual tone. "Rem-,er, Gambit! What are you doing here?" she nearly shouted, "I know that you knew the X-Men wouldn't exactly roll out the welcome wagon for you if you showed up!" She crossed her arms over her stomach as she usually did when she felt uncomfortable.

Gambit nodded. "Oui, I knew that," he replied easily, "But I did have to set up another time for us to meet." He took a step toward her and lifted her chin with his gloved hand. "Besides," he said with a serious cast to his face, "Maybe I'm thinking 'bout joining up with you X-Men."

Rogue swatted his hand away. "What?" she burst out. She didn't know which was more shocking: the fact that Gambit decided to disrupt the whole mansion just to set up a time to see her again, or the fact that he wanted to join the X-Men. It must've been a lie. "That's not a funny joke," she glowered at him.

"It's not a joke," he stated, looking her straight in the eyes.

Any dispute Rogue may have had with the validity of his statements went out the window with the firmness and clarity of his tone. "I don't know what to say," she murmured, "I guess then it's something you should talk to the Professor about…"

"Non," he replied gently, "I need to find out if what I'd be investing in by joining the X-Men would be…" He trailed off and looked at the sky searchingly.

"…worthwhile?" Rogue tried to supply helpfully, though she couldn't really say she knew exactly what he was going on about.

He shook his head and frowned. "Non, I _know_ she's worthwhile," he said, "…maybe 'receptive' would be a good word." He followed that statement with a quick nod, as if to indicate that that word would work for him.

Rogue raised one eyebrow. "'She's'?" she echoed, "Are you indicating the person that you're looking for?" What the hell was the Cajun planning? And why couldn't she shake the feeling, or perhaps irrational hope, that the 'she' was Rogue herself?

"You are too clever, chére," Gambit chuckled softly. It was a mildly intoxicating sound that Rogue found herself wishing she could hear more of.

"Is it me?" Rogue found herself saying suddenly. She clapped her hand over her mouth as if it would stop the words from tumbling out.

Gambit smiled a lopsided smile and raised his eyebrows. "I wonder…" he said enigmatically, "Though, I wouldn't forget that someone _will_ be looking for you at that dance."

Rogue pursed her lips, but couldn't think of a good response for that. Who the heck was it if not Gambit?

He reached out and stroked her cheek. "I'll see you Thursday at five, same place as before," he told her. The statement lacked the timbre of probability. He smiled at her mysteriously, "I'll see you later, then, Anna."

He strode away, leaving Rogue feeling disgruntled over the content of the conversation and the fact that he'd used her real name…Well, part of it anyway. She turned her back to his departing figure, but couldn't bring herself to open the mansion door yet. Somehow the thought of the question barrage from the other X-Men wasn't all that appealing.

The door flew open suddenly without her even touching it. She blinked in surprise at first, not recalling absorbing the powers of any mutant that could mentally open doors recently. Unfortunately, it turned out that Logan was on the other side of said door.

"You gotta come in sometime, kid," Logan said slightly less gruffly than he usually might in this sort of situation.

Rogue sighed and followed him inside. She might as well tell the half-truth, so she could escape to the sanctuary that was her bedroom. She looked at the Professor and Ororo. "He's thinking about joining the X-Men," she stated quickly.

Surprise flickered across both instructor's faces. She didn't have to see anyone else's faces to know that they were surprised as well. It always amazed her that the Professor even _got_ surprised, what with his being a telepath and all. She just chalked it up to his non-prying nature and faith that his students would tell him what important information they'd gleaned from the urgent situations they usually found themselves in. Rogue felt a little pang of guilt at her, abet slight, dishonesty.

Ororo was the first to say something. "Really?" she managed, "I can't say I expect Gambit to want to join us. I wonder what caused his change of heart?" She looked to the Professor, who was rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

"It's hard to say, Ororo," he replied, "but you are right that Gambit is a free spirit. There must be something here he's interested in…or perhaps some_one_." He looked at Rogue questioningly.

Rogue felt a shiver run down her spine. "It's not me!" she cried, "I don't know what he wants, but I know it's not me!" Wasn't it cruel enough that no one would ever want her? Apparently not, since everyone else was assuming that certain thieves with dubious intentions desired her. Rogue blinked back the mistiness in the corners of her eyes. What she wouldn't give for some semblance of normalcy in her life.

"Well, we can't trust him," Scott interjected matter-of-factly, "Not only was he an Acolyte, he's also a world class burglar." He shot a quick glance at Rogue, then turned to the instructors for confirmation of his statements.

"Actually, he's a thief. It's slightly different than a burglar," Kurt supplied helpfully, though his soft German voice fell on deaf ears for the most part. Kurt looked at Rogue sympathetically, and she couldn't help but give him a little smile back. He was a good brother.

"I don't trust him," Logan stated in his usual suspicious manner. He crossed his arms over his broad chest and stared at Rogue as if he was expecting her to provide some crucial information.

That was the final straw. Rogue couldn't stand being put on trial anymore. Her feet started moving before she even realized it. She heard Jean call after her, but she just kept running.

She finally reached her room and locked the door behind her. She'd have to let Kitty in eventually. Even in her slightly frantic state, she understood that. She slid down the length of the door and stared across the room. No one in the mansion seemed to comprehend the morals of keeping their noses out of other people's business.

She knew Gambit, no, Remy better than they did. They just kept their preconceived notions about him and then got infuriated that Rogue was associating with him. He didn't mean any harm…at least she _thought_ so.

"Oh, god," she whispered to no one in particular. Everything was getting so muddled up in her head. She buried her face in her arms and hoped in vain that everything would look better in a few hours.

-

_**"R**_ogue, we're really sorry, you know that," Jean explained pleadingly. She and Kitty were sitting at the foot of Rogue's bed attempting to coax her out of at least the bed if not the room.

Kitty nodded. "We shouldn't have overreacted and ganged up on you. I mean, I know how you feel about Gambit, so I'm sorry," she apologized. The sincerity was touching, but the content…not so much.

Rogue peered at her roommate. "'Feel about Gambit'?" she echoed questioningly, "What do you mean by that?"

Kitty looked taken aback. "I mean, I know that you, er, well, _like_ Gambit," she said defensively, "You know…like, _like_ him." She shifted uncomfortably and averted her gaze.

Rogue couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are you trying to imply that I have a _crush_ on _Gambit_?" she shot back, flabbergasted. A tiny part of her brain was telling her that perhaps the idea wasn't all that off, but the rest of her mind squelched that blooming thought without mercy.

Jean held up her hands between the two girls. "Alright, enough," she chided, "Rogue, you should come out of your room when you feel comfortable. If you need anything, let someone know. We're not upset at you." She reached out and squeezed Rogue's shoulder and smiled comfortingly. Then, she turned to Kitty. "Kitty, don't you have someplace you need to be?" she asked calmly. Whatever faults Jean may have had, she made up for them in her mediation skills.

Kitty gasped and looked at her watch. "Oh!" she yelped, "I do!" With that, Rogue observed as the younger girl fled out of the room like the devil himself was on her heels.

Jean shot Rogue another smile and gracefully left the room. Though she hated to admit it, Rogue always seemed to find herself jealous of Jean in one type of fashion or another. She scowled. Damn it, anyway.

Rogue nestled down into the blankets and closed her eyes. Her room was quiet and dark; It was just what she needed right now. There was a slight chill breeze wafting from the window. Had Kitty left the window open in the middle of Autumn? Was she insane?

Rogue attempted to burrow further into the covers so that she wouldn't have to get up and close the window. She didn't really feel like leaving her sanctuary of warmth at the moment. She felt the bed shift suddenly as someone sat down at the foot of it.

Well, that explained it. Rogue didn't even bother to look at the older girl. "Jean," she said, her voice muffled by the blankets, "Can you close the window? It's kinda chilly."

She heard a masculine chuckle followed by an unmistakable voice saying, "I know it is, chére, I was just outside."

She sat up faster than she thought possible and threw back the covers, smacking the Cajun in the face with them as she did so. "Gambit?" she squeaked, "What are you doing here?"

Gambit pushed the blankets off of himself and looked at her appraisingly. "You sleep in your clothes?" he asked randomly.

Rogue frowned. "No, not usually…It's just today was…" she began, then blinked, "Wait! You're not going to get me off topic! What are you doing here, Gambit?" She reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt menacingly.

He gently removed her hand then smiled that lopsided smile that Rogue found that she was growing fond of. "As an apology," he replied suavely, "for ruining your morning." He held out a small, yet beautiful bouquet of roses for her. Rogue couldn't help but feel astonished by the gesture. No one had ever gotten her flowers before.

She touched the roses' petals softly. "You actually ruined my entire day," she muttered, not quite being able to let go of the day's events despite the roses' apparent beauty.

Gambit laughed. "You want a bigger bouquet then?" he asked amusedly.

Rogue frowned at him. "No," she retorted, "I want to know what you mean by all the things you keep telling me. Who is your investment, who's going to be waiting for me at the dance, and most importantly, are you serious about joining the X-Men?"

Gambit looked torn between explaining everything or explaining nothing. He sighed. "Chére," he began in a barely perceptible exasperated tone, "Who's asking me? Rogue or Anna?"

Rogue stared at him for a moment. It made sense. If "Rogue" was asking the questions, it was in the benefit of the X-Men. If "Anna Marie" was asking the questions, then it was for her that she wanted the answers.

She breathed in. "I'm asking as Anna Marie, but I'm not asking Gambit for answers. I'm asking Remy," she replied firmly. Affiliations and intentions were tricky beasts. Relating on a personal level seemed simple comparatively.

Remy smiled in defeat. "You win," he said, "Your answers are you, me, and more serious than I probably should be."

Rogue found herself frowning slightly. "But before you said that you _weren't_ going to be the one at the dance," she recalled confusedly.

Remy chuckled. "Non, you asked _Gambit_ if he'd be waiting for you, not _Remy_. There is a difference, as you can see," he explained jovially.

"That's splitting hairs," Rogue replied sourly, but inside her heart was beating faster at the thought that Remy was truly interested in _her_ of all people. Her heart had a tendency toward irrationality.

"Perhaps, chére," he relented, "but I didn't want you to know everything right away." He reached out, took the bouquet from her hands, and placed it on her bedside table. He then leaned forward and took her face in his gloved hands. "I was going to wait a little longer to give you the answers, but somehow…I couldn't," he whispered.

Rogue closed her eyes as he drew her closer to him. She could feel his breath ghosting over her lips. Her adrenaline began pumping through her veins. She'd hadn't been this close to a guy in such a long time…after all, her last kissing experience ended in tragedy.

Something in her currently useless brain suddenly clicked. "No!" she yelped, shoving Remy away. How could she even _think_ about kissing someone? Remy's thoughts were the _last_ person's she wanted in her head.

Remy looked slightly taken aback. "Non?" he asked, "I'm sorry?" Had the situation been less serious, Rogue might've giggled about Remy's uncharacteristic look of disorientation.

"You can't kiss me," Rogue explained quickly, "You should remember my power absorption." She pursed her lips. Stupid inconvenient powers.

Remy smiled and sighed. "Oui, Anna, I remember how deceptively dangerous your kisses are," he laughed, pushing his bangs out of his face.

Rogue blushed. She'd actually forgotten that she'd kissed him once before. "I was under mind control…" she began lamely.

Remy ignored that sentiment. "I wasn't going to kiss you, chére," he said, "As much as I may want to, I can't. Still, it doesn't stop me from getting close to you." He seemed saddened by the situation. It was barely perceptible, but Rogue managed to catch the look.

"Is it that you don't want me to know what's in you head?" Rogue asked rather insensitively. Why couldn't she ever seem to stop herself from saying such blunt, suspicious things?

Remy shook his head, but looked amused by her. "Non," he replied, once again donning the smile that Rogue liked, "If you want to know what's in my head, then you may. Still, I think you might find it hard to hide my unconscious body when your roommate comes home from her date with that Avalanche fellow."

Well. That explained a few things…especially why Kitty fled the room like it was bursting into flame earlier. Kitty and Lance had gotten closer since the battle with Apocalypse and since the Brotherhood decided to be mildly less unholy terrors.

"I see," Rogue managed through her thoughts.

Remy looked entertained, "So you do."

"Are you still going to go then?" Rogue asked despite herself. She shifted uncomfortably, and couldn't fathom why she was so irrationally concerned over what Remy was going to do or not do.

"Hmm?" he asked nonchalantly, "Leave? Go to the dance? Or go to the X-Men?"

Rogue frowned. She really needed to clarify her statements. "All three?" she suggested hopefully, though she was actually most concerned about the dance, which was probably the least important of the three options.

Remy grinned. "Nice try," he responded, "Remy will be waiting for you at the dance." He brushed his hand down her cheek and neck, then stopped at her collarbone. He stood up and walked toward the window.

"Remy?" Rogue managed, "Will you be there on Thursday?"

He turned and looked back at her; his ruby-colored eyes seemed to be gazing into her soul. "I wouldn't miss it, chére," he replied softly. With that, he leapt out of her window and disappeared into the dusk.

Rogue shook her head, but found that she was unable to stop her heart from racing. Maybe Kitty was right, and she really _did_ have feelings for Remy. She mulled over the novelty of the idea in her head.

She sighed as she looked at the clock. Kitty's curfew was approaching, so she'd need to prepare herself for when the younger girl came home and berated her with the details of her and Lance's date.

Still, she couldn't stop herself from smiled dumbly. Remy had wanted _her._

-

**_R_**emy LeBeau was not used to making mistakes, and even less used to beating himself up mentally for making said mistakes. He grumbled to himself as he flopped down on the sofa in his apartment.

"Good job, Remy," he muttered, "Just tell her everything…_that'll_ end well."

Though, it wasn't like he couldn't identify the mysterious force that was causing him to blunder…it was more like he didn't _want_ to identify it. He rubbed his eyes. There was no ignoring it, however.

It was love.

He hadn't intended to fall in love. His intentions were to have befriended Rogue, who desperately needed company, thereby having a powerful acquaintance who had ties to an even more powerful group. If she wanted to help him, so would the X-Men. Besides that, her abilities were infinitely useful, as he recalled.

He sighed. That wasn't how it ended up. He probably flirted more than he should, but with every other woman, it didn't culminate into anything. Rogue…Anna…was special. He really did develop feelings this time. Better yet, it was with a woman he couldn't even touch!

He normally would've shrugged off the possibility of her temporarily using his powers and him falling unconscious. The real issue stemmed from her power's side effect: memory absorption. He was all too aware of the fact that there were certain things contained in his brain that she should never be made knowledgeable of.

First and foremost, of course, being the fact that he had intended on…well, "using" was such an ugly word…probably more like "utilizing" her talents. He frowned at this train of thought. When had he become such a rat bastard?

He brushed away those notions. They didn't matter, because things were different now. He loved her…truly loved her. He would do anything now to be near her…even going so far as to join the X-Men.

He chuckled at the irony of it. He could've had any woman in the entire world, but the woman he wanted was the woman he couldn't be near.

* * *

**Well, I hope you all liked it! If you feel like it, drop me a line. Until next time, this has been B.R.Y., over and out!**


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